The
Santa Fe-based Con Alma Health Foundation, in an effort to address a health
care gap for New Mexico’s
minority populations, secured a national grant recently to help diversify the
state’s nursing workforce.

The project will kick off today with
re-establishment of a New Mexico Hispanic Nurses Association from 3 to 5 p.m.
at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center in Albuquerque.

Helen Alarid, a nurse of almost 30 years who has cared
for cardiac patients at Christus St. Vincent Regional Medical Center and now
teaches at Northern New Mexico College in Española, envisions the Hispanic
group providing resources and mentorship.

Alarid said 85 percent of
Northern’s enrollment is Hispanic students, and they come with socioeconomic
challenges and inexperience with academic life. She said they are more likely
to continue their education if they have role models who understand their challenges
and can help them find solutions

The Legislative Finance says New Mexico’s agency for licensing drivers
and vehicles continues to struggle with outdated technology and staffing
problems.

The committee
says the Motor Vehicle Division’s old computer system is on the verge of
collapse, the division has a high management turnover, staff is paid less than
the regional average, and frustrated customers have to make multiple trips to
the MVD.

Committee Chairman, John Arthur Smith says the problems continue
despite efforts to revamp major parts of the MVD.

John Arthur Smith

John Arthur
Smith- “We’re talking about a revamp, through and through. This has been an
issue that we have had regardless of which governor is in office. Either the
governor doesn’t ask for enough money in the budget or we don’t fund enough.
When we try to give them additional assistance in the past thinking we’ve fixed
a problem it hasn’t been resolved.”

The MVD isn't
fighting the findings of an evaluation and say they are working to fix some of
the problems.

The
evaluation made recommendations including re-engineering the department's computer
system as soon as possible, however the MVD says that could top $65 million.

The committee
also wants the MVD to figure out a way to start accepting Visa cards. The card
isn't accepted right now because Visa won't allow government agencies to pass
the $1.25 transaction fee onto customers in face-to-face transactions.

A
total of ninety-one offices provide MVD costumer services throughout the state.
These include thirty-two state-run field offices, thirty-nine county and municipal
field offices, seventeen privately owned retail agencies as well as call
centers.

Commentary by Jim Spence - “The Men Who Built America” is a new mini-series running on the History Channel. Despite a decidedly progressive tilt to the overall narrative, the series does a decent job of telling the story of how some of the greatest 19th century American entrepreneurs risked their entire personal savings, committed to providing great new products and services, and ultimately made life much easier for millions of their fellow citizens. They also transformed America from an economic backwater into the country with the highest living standards on earth. Oh yes, and one more thing. Those who accomplished all of these things……..got rich.

During the first episode the development of the nation’s railroad and oil industries is featured. As is typical with any progressive-slanted presentation of American history, there was an almost twisted overemphasis on the competitive aspects of the personalities of great men like Cornelius Vanderbilt and John D. Rockefeller. The incredible wealth they amassed seemed to be repeated over and over. If the same approach were used in a documentary about Michael Jordan and Nolan Ryan, there would be a relentless over-dramatization of Michael Jordan’s rough fouls on defense and the number of batters Nolan Ryan hit with the ball.

Lost in the shuffle of portraying John Rockefeller’s battles with his competitors as particularly ruthless was an important fact. His very first product, Kerosene, put an end to the merciless slaughter of whales for their oil by the whaling industry.

It comes as no surprise that there were many missed teaching points in, “The Men Who Built America.” At least in the title it is acknowledged that these men built their own businesses. Read rest of column here: News New Mexico

Gov. Susana Martinez has named a businessman from
southeastern New Mexico
to a commission that oversees the state Department of Transportation.

Robert
Wallach of Hobbs
fills a vacancy on the six-member state Transportation Commission, which sets
policies for the department. The 56-year-old Wallach runs a family-owned
concrete business and also owns a ranch. Wallach is a former member of the
Hobbs City Commission.

His appointment is subject to confirmation by the state
Senate. The department is responsible for the state's network of highways and
bridges.

An oil refinery in New Mexico will pay a $400,000 fine in a
settlement over safety violations stemming from an explosion that killed two
employees and injured two others.

The New Mexico Environment Department and
Navajo Refining of Artesia entered a settlement agreement for citations issued
by the department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

The
explosion occurred when employees of Northwest Insulation of Texas were
performing welding operations on top of a storage tank at the refinery on March
2, 2010. A welder ignited vapors from flammable liquids within the tank. The
resulting explosion ripped open the top of the tank and the ensuing fire burned
for more than an hour before being extinguished.

Gunhawk Firearms says people who oppose coyote hunts like the one they're organizing just don't understand what it's like to live in a rural area and want to emphasize they are helping people and the coyotes.

It's an argument that wildlife activists have been trying to shoot down, but the Los Lunas business is picking up where Calibers Gun Store of Albuqueque left off.

Gunhawk launched a coyote hunt of their own. The prize: an assault weapon for the person who brings in the most carcasses. Calibers' Gun Shop got a massive amount of negative comments from those opposing a similar hunt on its Facebook page . That is the reason why Calibers' hunt was called off.

A Las Cruces attorney who says she was handed
an incompletely printed ballot at an early voting site says she's worried the
problem may be more widespread than election officials contend.

Deborah Thuman says
she was handed a ballot that printed on only one side at a DonaAnaCounty early voting site on Oct. 20. She
says a number of judicial races that should have been printed on the ballot's
back side were missing.

She was given a new ballot but says she's unsure if
other voters would catch such problems.